Dodge's Scars
by poetanddidntknowit34
Summary: Dodge Landon isn't a jerk just to be a jerk. He has a past that has turned his hard to stone. *A Rise of the Planet of the Apes fic


Dodge Landon turned the hose off. The soaked monkey inside the cage was shaking from fear and the cold shock of the water. Dodge tossed the hose aside and smirked at the dirty animal, "He'll learn who's boss soon enough."

Rodney looked concerned. Whatever. Stupid animal lover, "What about his clothes?" Rodney asked.

"What about them?" Dodge spat back, annoyed with the random question.

"Won't they cause problems with the other apes?"

"Good." Dodge said simply and wiped the mush off his face that the soaking wet monkey had flung at him only minutes before. He hoped the new comer would get ripped apart by the other apes; it might be entertaining. Dodge touched the long, jagged scar on his chest. He hated animals. Ever since he was little…

_Dodge had been seven years old when the incident happened. He'd begged his dad for days to take him to work with him; he wanted to see the monkeys. Finally, John Landon had given in. Deciding that there was no way Dodge could get hurt if all the apes were in cages, he drove his son to the primate preserve, "Now Dodge, you mustn't try to touch the apes." John had warned the little boy with shaggy blond hair and bright blue eyes._

_Dodge nodded and ran up and down the cages; looking from one ape to the next. He had always been fascinated by them and he couldn't wait until he was old enough to spend every day with them. John went into his office, warning his son, again, against the danger of touching the apes. Dodge, however, didn't listen this time. As soon as his father was out of sight, he went up to the cage nearest him. Inside was the only monkey who had been watching him the whole time he had been in the complex._

_The ape was curious and when Dodge approached the cage, the monkey cocked his head and watched the strange little boy. Dodge smiled and said, "Wanna play?" Then he reached up and unlatched the cage. The door swung open and Dodge stepped back to let the monkey out. The ape took a tentative step out of the cage, then, seeing that it was OK to come out, he took another step. Dodge smiled and held out his hand. He just wanted to play._

_The monkey looked at him, then snarled and lunged at Dodge. Dodge was knocked onto his back and he covered his face to try to deflect the fists of the ape that was pinning him to the ground. The ape had to be twice Dodge's size and Dodge was completely defenseless. Dodge screamed and yelled out for his dad. The monkey paused for a brief second at his scream and Dodge took the opportunity to squirm away. But now the monkey was even angrier. He had cornered Dodge and was grabbing anything and everything and throwing it at the cowering seven-year old. There was a cart of medical supplies near-by and Dodge was having pill bottle after pill bottle chucked at him._

_John Landon heard his son's screams and he burst into the room just in time to see Brutus, the alpha male of the complex, attacking Dodge with pill bottles, "Hey!" John cried out and ran back into his office for his tranquilizer gun._

_Dodge was terrified and he didn't know how much longer the beating could go on, before he saw a sight that made his heart go into panic mode. The ape had found a surgical knife. Dodge froze and the world seemed to spin in slow-motion as the ape lunged at him again. Dodge was pinned under the weight of the large monkey and a sharp pain in his chest made him scream out in pain. The monkey was pounding him with his fist again, but this time, the fist was enclosed around the surgical knife. The searing pain came again and again as the ape sliced Dodge's skin. Dodge knew he was going to die. But before he could give into the blackness in his mind, the ape suddenly stopped and slid off the tiny, trembling kid; tranquilized._

_John ran over to Dodge. He was bleeding very badly through his plaid shirt, and John hoisted the kid into his arms and ran for his truck._

_The doctor was a kind old man and an old friend of John's, so his face was caring and sincere when he sat down in the waiting room next to John, "Dodge's going to be fine. It was just cuts, no stab wounds. He's all patched up, but he's going to have some nasty scars." John just nodded. How could he let his eldest son out of his sight? Especially in that environment. The doctor seemed to have read John's mind, "It's not your fault. Dodge is young and curious and you know how much he likes animals."_

_John sighed, "How long until he can come home?"_

_Dodge was lying in his hospital bed, looking down at the jagged lines of stitching of his chest. Stupid ape. He vowed then and there to never love animals again; they were good for nothing but hurting people. And he refused to be hurt again._

Dodge lifted the levers and the apes scattered out into the arena. He hoped they all attacked and killed each other. Before they could get him.


End file.
